Creating an entirely new type of magic… a "Celestial Spirit Body"?
Nate sighed. "Isn't that a bit too much to ask?"
Then again, when he thought about it, he realized how impressive he must seem to others. Internet Magic, Six Eyes, Flying Thunder God—all of these were magics he had created himself. No wonder Levy had such high expectations of him.
It felt good to be admired, but could he really pull this off by himself?
"What are you talking about? You're Nate, a mage of Fairy Tail! Don't say you can't do it!" Levy clenched her fists, cheering him on. "I believe in you! Show us your determination!"
This felt like the perfect moment for some epic background music, and a classic shout of "We are Fairy Tail!" would fit right in…
Nate rolled his eyes inwardly. "Fine, I'll try."
"Not just try—work hard at it!" Levy urged.
"Alright, I'll give it my best shot."
"Go for it!" Levy cheered again, then suddenly shifted the conversation. "By the way… are you 'really' planning to date both Erza and Mira?"
Why was she back to gossip again?
Nate didn't even know what to say.
"I don't have experience with that kind of thing, but maybe you should ask Loke? He's got multiple girlfriends at once!" Levy giggled and walked off, turning back a few steps later to give him a thumbs-up. "I'm rooting for you, Nate!"
Is she cheering for me to create a new magic or to date two women at once? Nate thought, finding Levy's personality rather amusing.
Speaking of Loke, Nate remembered that while he hadn't interacted much with him, he knew enough about the guy. Loke was actually Leo of the Celestial Spirits' Zodiac, the leader of the Twelve. Due to certain circumstances, he had been exiled from the Spirit World and had been living in the human world under the alias "Loke" for three years. During that time, he had become a popular figure, even making it to the top of "The Wizard I'd Like To Be My Boyfriend" rankings in 'Sorcerer Weekly'.
"Maybe Loke could help me with researching this 'Celestial Spirit Body' magic."
Nate opened his contact list, only to realize that he didn't have Loke's contact info. Using his developer privileges, he looked up Loke's details, but it showed him as offline.
"He's not at the guild and hasn't logged in. Is he out on a mission?" Nate sent a friend request and added a message:
"Loke, it's Nate. I need to talk to you. Get back to me when you can."
After waiting a bit and receiving no response, Nate decided to let it go for now.
"If Loke's unavailable, I'll just ask Lucy instead."
Closing the Magic Net, Nate got up and walked toward Lucy, who was chatting with Wendy and Carla, surrounded by a crowd of curious guild members. Lucy was seated next to Wendy and asked with curiosity, "So, Wendy, Natsu can eat fire because he's a Fire Dragon Slayer. As a Sky Dragon Slayer, what do you eat?"
"Air," Wendy answered.
Mirajane, with her usual innocent smile, said, "Air? I thought it would be the sky."
"How would you even eat the sky?" Carla muttered dryly.
Nate laughed, adding, "I could probably punch a hole in the sky. Maybe the sky 'is' edible, Carla."
Carla scowled. "Hmph!"
Nate turned to Lucy. "Lucy, I need a favor. Can you come with me for a minute?"
Lucy blushed slightly at his request, instinctively feeling a bit flustered. "What is it?"
"It's important."
Nate turned and headed outside the guild's temporary bar, prompting Lucy to follow him. As they left, Happy, with a mischievous grin, teased, "They're totally into each other!"
Wendy blinked in confusion. "I thought Nate liked Erza?"
Mirajane watched them leave with curiosity as well.
…
Nate led Lucy to the construction site. It was midday, and everyone was on break for lunch, so the area was deserted. He sat down on a stack of wooden beams in a familiar spot where he often relaxed.
"Lucy, can I—"
"No!" Lucy immediately crossed her arms over her chest and took a step back, looking alarmed.
Nate was baffled. "???"
Wait, I haven't even finished my sentence! What's with the overreaction?
"I was going to ask if I could touch—"
"Don't even think about it, you pervert! No way, Nate!"
Lucy's face turned bright red as she furiously rejected him. "Just because you're my creditor doesn't mean you can take advantage of me!"
Nate's eye twitched. "…Can I touch your 'Celestial Spirit'?"
Lucy froze. "…"
The two stared at each other for a good five seconds. Lucy's ears turned crimson as she realized her misunderstanding. She was so embarrassed she could have dug a hole in the ground and disappeared into it.
It was Nate's fault! Ever since he'd seen her naked, she couldn't help but think weird things whenever she was around him.
"It's the… Celestial Spirit?"
"What else did you think?" Nate shot her a disapproving look. "You're the one who's always thinking weird things."
It's your fault for saying things that could be misinterpreted! Lucy thought, giving him a frustrated glare as she slapped her face to cool herself down.
"You want to see my Celestial Spirit? Are you trying to learn Celestial Spirit Magic?"
"No, I'm trying to create a new kind of magic, and I need to study Celestial Spirits for that," Nate explained. "Can you summon one for me?"
Lucy, feeling relieved that it wasn't anything inappropriate, pulled out her keyring from her waist, which had five golden keys and several silver ones.
"Which one do you want to see?"
"Can you summon all the Zodiac spirits at once?"
Lucy scoffed. "Do you think I'm some high-level mage? I can only summon one Zodiac spirit at a time."
That's right, Nate remembered that Lucy could eventually summon multiple spirits, but right now, she was still too weak for that.
"I have five Zodiac keys: Aquarius, Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, and Sagittarius," Lucy explained, holding each key up. "Aquarius is a bit temperamental, though. If I summon her here, she'll probably get mad."
Nate recalled the Celestial Spirit Aquarius. She was tough, always carrying a huge water jug, and when she attacked, she often dragged Lucy into it. Still, she was fiercely loyal to her master.
"Let's go with Virgo," Nate decided.
Lucy nodded, raising the Virgo key and summoning the spirit. "I am the one who connects the paths to the Celestial Spirit World. Heed my call and come forth! Open the Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!"
A golden magic circle appeared on the ground, and from it emerged Virgo, a maid-like spirit with pink hair and blue eyes, her hands adorned with iron shackles.
"Is there something you need, Princess?"
"It's not me, it's him," Lucy said, motioning toward Nate.
Virgo curtsied gracefully. "Ah, Nate-sama. I've heard quite a bit about you from the Princess, especially at night."
Lucy, her face bright red, rushed forward to cover Virgo's mouth. "What are you saying!?"
"It's true, though~"
Ignoring the commotion, Nate activated his Six Eyes and began closely observing Virgo's spiritual structure.